Environmental an Technological Innovation
To many environmentalists, technology has been the major villain in degrading the environment. I would argue that the opposite is true: it is the lack of technological change a n d development t h a t s a d d l e s countries with unnecessary pollution. Japan and the most technologically developed countries in Europe and North America have modest pollution problems compared with many developing countries and the former Soviet bloc countries. which employ older, less sophisticated technologies. Moreover, the more advanced economies have moved away from primary production of commodities such as steel to higher value-added products such as electronics, automobiles, and information technology. Finally, environmental quality can he afforded because incomes are higher; incomes are higher because of productivity improvements arising from application of more sophisticated technology. Historically, technology has been the key to solving a range of environmental problems. During the early 1970% technologies to curb major forms of pollution were limited. Congress forced use of catalyst technology by mandating a 90% reduction of automotive emissions from the existing levels in the 1970 Clean Air Act. EPA pushed a reluctant utility industry to invest in 1300 Environ. Sci. Technol.. Vol. 26, No. 7. 1992
scrubbers. Today, scrubber technology is widely used and will be an important component of the acid rain reduction program under the Clean Air Act. Over the years, new environmental technologies have made a big difference. Without new analytical instruments, it would not be possible to detect pollutants in parts per billion. Without new space- and landbased instruments, it would not be possible to detect and chart the growth of the ozone hole. Without development of substitutes for CFCs, Du Pont could not have announced its intention to eliminate production of these chemicals. With environmental problems reaching global proportions, the needs to understand the status of and trends in environmental quality, to anticipate emerging problems, and to expand the range of technological solutions are critical. Our knowledge of the planet’s ecological health is primitive. In general, we discover environmental problems after they become acute, missing opportunities for earlier and cheaper correction. We need integrated measurement and analytical systems that can record and anticipate environmental change. Some of those systems will require sophisticated sensors to measure changes in constituents and temperature. Greatly enhanced computing power will be necessary to predict global environmental changes. Technological innovation has never been more important, particularly as pollution prevention becomes a government strategy and business reality. In some cases, national goals cannot he achieved without deployment of new technology. For example, achievement of the 1990 Clean Air Act goals in many cities will require use of some combination of new fuels, electric
vehicles, smart highways, and other technologies. New teleconferencing and communication technologies might allow more decentralization of work, which could reduce transportation demands. Until now, environmental controls have not been characterized by excessive technological innovation. Because so many command-andcontrol regulations of EPA either implicitly or explicitly are used to mandate some current form of technology, there is little incentive to innovate. Moreover, EPA has been unwilling to take risks for the most part, and allows sufficient regulatory flexibility if a new technology does not immediately achieve its long-term objectives. There are some promising developments that could accelerate technology development and application and promote pollution prevention. First, market incentives, such as the marketable permit program embodied in the Clean Air Act, will prompt firms to use innovative technology to cut costs or to obtain a valuable property right. Second, publication of information such as the reports of industry emissions required by the 1986 Superfund amendments can promote use of new technology or substitutes to reduce reported levels. Although these are promising developments, there is still insufficient effort to develop and commercialize new technoloeies. a subiect I ulan to discuss in a Lture co1;mn. A
Alvin L. Alm is director and senior vice-presidentfor energy and the envi mnment for Science Applications In ternotional C o p , a supplier of higltechnology products a n d services reloted to the environment, energy health, and national security.
013-936x192/0926-1300$03.00/01992 American Chemical Society
